The Archer
by Bugnuks And Crossbows
Summary: With creatures of great evil breathing down the doors of Arothna, four men venture forward into the unknown Eastlands to seek out one who may save them. Will this mysterious man be able to save them, or will their beloved world crumble beneath the assault
1. Introduction

+The Archer+

**Introduction**

_Bugnuks and Crossbows

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_

No wind blew through the grass, and it stood still, the dancer's rhythm lost. No sounds made the world seem hopeful, or even as if a being lived there. No sun shone, and the desolate land remained undisturbed.

A quiet padding, however, soon broke the perfection of the land, and an eerie wailing beckoned to the moon in fury. The tranquility of the land ceased, as a mountain side became filled with the angry cries of various beasts, snarling. Rocks shifted under the pads of their feet, and the snapping of teeth could be heard to where the young man stood tall, a bow in one hand as he notched a new arrow, not unlike the one that had previously flown.

The mountainside grew dark with the silhouettes of the shadow creatures, but the archer stood strong. He knew, as the prophecy stated, that he would die this day, but that mattered very little – he would die in the glory of battle. Valhalla would welcome him as the hero of man, and the God of Law himself would congratulate him. Just as the prophecy stated. For these reasons, he had no fear. He had been born for this very purpose.

As the wall along the ridge of the mountain side seemed to crash into the valley, the young archer braced himself for combat. Only one of these many beasts would need to be killed to seal the fate of man – if he died first, so did mankind.

A brief moment before impact, the archer drew a short sword, and thrust himself into battle with a lingering battle cry to Modi, son of Thor, the archer sealed the fate of himself, and mankind.

* * *

_Authoress says:_

Yes, extremely short, I realize that thank you all very much. And yes, I'm a little snappy today... Don't hate me... :Sniff:

Because I realize the 'Weiß' in this seems to be missing, the first chapter will be coming up shortly. For anyone who knows more about Norse Mythology than I do, feel free to correct me if I screw something up - it's bound to happen. The second chapter is much longer, I promise.


	2. Chapter One

+The Archer+

**Chapter One**

_Bugnuks and Crossbows_

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Silence hung in the court air, their ruler looking rather ponderously down upon his disciples. The men and women of the court sat daintily upon their expensive chairs, in their glorious fabrics, looking particularly at ease, despite the situation facing them.

"Do none of you realize what has occurred?" the King asked, looking a tad irate.

A lady of the court raised her fan, and said with utmost superciliousness: "The matters of the people are not so important as to change what your decision about us should be, my liege. We are your people, the people who provide you money, good press, and your very position. It is your duty to first take care of your caretakers."

"Would you then, Lady Karen, have me abandon my people?"

"They are meaningless. We are important. We made you our ruler," the haughty woman responded, no thought crossing her mind that the King would doubt her.

"Without people to rule, I am no ruler, my Lady." Rising from his chair, the King looked particularly displeased. "I did not expect my court to be so superficial."

A young lord shook his head, chocolate brown hair tossing back and forth, his normally neutral face wrought with contempt. "Do not group all of us with petty annoyances like that woman."

"This is not the time for these discussions, your Majesty." His glance met that of a dark haired man who had just entered the room. "We have more pressing matters to attend to than the superficiality of your court."

With a bumptious swagger, the man took an empty seat, and cast his glance over the court. Various murmurings solidified the forming thought in the King's mind of this man's position. As hard to come by as a natural house, this man existed far to the East of Arothna, his words legend, and they never failed.

The mystical man wore a cloak with a cat skin lined hood, and cat skin gloves. His belt carried a pouch on it, which seemed to jingle as it's contents moved, each time his staff did.

"I am here, your Majesty, to speak with you about a way to disperse this threat on our lands."

"Oh?" The unspoken curiosity sparkled clearly in the king's brown eyes.

Rising to his feet once more, the prophet made his way to a platform and sat, his voice changing from what it had been before, to a mysterious, airy voice that sounded unlike anything he'd heard in a man before.

_"To save man, many must perish,_

_To save demon, all man must fall,_

_To live in balance, there is no hope._

_"The hero of man can be found to the East,_

_An archer of unheard of skill,_

_The hero of Demon is found to the North,_

_His existence is only to kill."_

For a brief moment, the room became silent, and even Lady Karen looked a bit stricken. The king watched as the prophet's rigid body relaxed, and sunk into a chair. To their surprise, he collapsed while unconscious.

"An archer? What could an archer alone possibly do against these creatures?" Lady Karen sniffed, looking a little irate.

"My dear, _dear_ Lady," the voice of the youngest lord in the room spoke again, "are you so clueless as to have not heard the legend of the archer?"

"Now, not only is he an archer destined to save mankind, but he is legendary?" the blonde's voice dripped, her mocking of him being apparent.

"Quiet Karen," the King instructed, his gaze turning to the youngest lord. "Lord Nagi, please, do continue."

Getting gracefully to his feet, as a custom of young gentlemen, the lord looked each member of the court in the eye. "The archer existed many centuries ago, when this very land we stand on was a crop field. He was an orphan child, living on the scraps he could steal, and protecting himself from even the worst of the guards.

"They called him 'The Talent', and he was that indeed. The king's armies were preparing for war, that fateful day, when a prophet, much like the man in that chair, strode into the king's chambers, and demanded that he go east. He explained that the only saviour for the king and his people lay there, and if he was not soon recovered, he would be lost to them.

"In the time it took for the king to take the prophet honestly, and set out on an eastward hunt for the archer, the boy grew, learning from the practices of the guards, even piecing together his own bow, Ull, from yew.

"Many believed, when the king sought him, that the archer himself was a son of Ull, and began to worship him, but the man was not one to be tempted by the possibility of fame. When he was told of his fate, the archer is said to have taken it well, and agreed with only one statement 'I will return, and when I do, you will need me once more.'"

"So you believe, Lord Nagi, that this archer is reincarnate of the last?" Lady Karen scoffed.

"I do. And I am willing to venture to find him to prove it," brown eyes looked to meet the king's gaze. "I will go alone, if I must."

Rising to his feet, the king shook his head. "I will accompany you, Lord Nagi, for I have also heard the myth… And I will not let my people down."

An uproar coursed through the court, and various shouts echoed through the room.

"Majesty, your life could be risked, as could ours! All for a silly orphan boy? You do not even know who he is, or how to find him!"

The king strode from the room, Lord Nagi at his heels. As the courtroom doors closed, Nagi placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "Ken, are you sure you want to do this?"

"It isn't a matter of what I want to do, Nagi," brown eyes met brown eyes. "This needs to be done, for everyone's sake."

Nodding, Nagi removed his hand. "Will any others be accompanying us?"

"We will see."

* * *

_Authoress says:_

Is it better now? Now that it's Weiß and not... randomness? And now that it's longer? ...I hope so.


End file.
